A comment by Norbert Haug might trigger speculation Mercedes is looking to the future of its F1 driver lineup.
The reigning DTM champion at present is Paul di Resta, a Scottish rookie whose strong F1 debut this year has sparked rumours his future is with Mercedes GP.
Asked if the 25-year-old, with strong links to Mercedes, is better than Sebastian Vettel, Haug answered: "Who knows whether at some point, as they were in F3, they might be together in the same formula one team and then we’ll know definitively who is the best."
"Today it’s Sebastian Vettel," added the German.
Does that mean Mercedes, currently fielding Nico Rosberg alongside Michael Schumacher, is looking to update its current driver lineup?
"Now is not the time to talk about contracts for the future," insists team boss Ross Brawn to Cologne newspaper Express. "We have bigger problems."
Rosberg has recently been linked with moves to Ferrari and McLaren.
"He has done a fantastic job and it’s a big challenge for Michael to keep up with him. Time will tell how long we cooperate. We need to prove that we are the team at which drivers want to be," added Brawn.
Haug, meanwhile, admits that Mercedes is already out of the running for this year’s title.
"For us this year, certainly not," he told the DPA news agency when asked if the championship is a realistic goal.